The World Bank has lifted its 60-year de facto ban on funding nuclear energy projects to help developing nations address growing electricity demands while mitigating climate change impacts. Through a partnership with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Bank will provide technical expertise to build regulatory frameworks, infrastructure, and human capacity for safe nuclear power in the Global South. At Mituye, we routinely argue that the future probably needs to be nuclear unless science provides us with an even more efficient means to produce the needed energy to run the modern world. As the demands around power seem to be only escalating, it is important that institutions reevaluate any rigid stance against nuclear development.

In order to meet the aims of the World Bank-funded Nigeria ID4D project, Nigeria’s National Identity Management Commission must issue an additional 59 million National Identification Numbers by the end of next year. In total, the project aims to issue 180 million digital IDs to Nigerians in an effort to enhance access to services in education, health, and finance. The digitization of the entire world will undoubtedly be one of the great Herculean efforts of modern political entities. It will be interesting to see how efforts which are intended to enhance efficiency and coherence create unexpected consequences. It is also interesting to entertain the thought that this effort is being funded by the World Bank and therefore must represent something which should be funded for the good of the world.

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou has scheduled a confidence vote for September 8 to secure parliamentary support for 44 billion euros in budget cuts. Bayrou is attempting to address the country's 5.8% GDP deficit through measures like freezing welfare spending and scrapping public holidays. Major opposition parties, including the National Rally, Greens, and Socialists, have declared they will not back the vote, heightening the risk of government collapse amid rising bond premiums and stock market declines. The growing fiscal crisis is causing many countries, even developed and wealthy countries, to have to truly grapple with what adhering to fiscal constraints implies for the behavior of the government. For many decades now, economic theorists have convinced government officials that the arrangements which facilitated unchecked spending had no consequences. Well, obviously, and somewhat intuitively, that is not true, so here we are, and here is France dealing with this crisis.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has signaled that interest rate cuts are set to start this fall, potentially in September, in response to a slowing labor market, weakening consumer spending, and inflation nearing the 2% target. However, recently inflation has pushed back up to 2.7%, which may complicate the Fed's plans to create a soft landing and suggest that regardless of what happens in September, rates may not drop to pre-pandemic lows for the foreseeable future. Short of the abolition of central banking in general, there is little reason to believe that banks like the Federal Reserve will be able to do more than take their best guess at what interest rate will best stabilize the economy. The cost of money is perhaps the most important element of business and politics in modern life, so it will be interesting to see how much longer the country can tolerate money being so expensive.

President Donald Trump signed executive orders directing federal agencies to vigorously prosecute flag burning, challenging the Supreme Court's 1989 ruling that protects it as First Amendment speech, and to end cashless bail systems by requiring cash bail in criminal cases. The flag order includes provisions to deny immigration benefits to foreign nationals involved in desecration and prioritizes related prosecutions, though legal experts argue it cannot override constitutional protections. Through this decision, Trump mistakenly provides symbolic victories for his base but misunderstands the erosion of trust that occurs when public officials appear to be more concerned with appearance than governance. The cash bail order is far more interesting, as many states have gone through great lengths to reform their bail systems and will find themselves at odds with the new decree from the White House.

The federal government changed the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War. Importantly, the Department of War was the department's original name from 1789 until 1949. Advocates for the name change suggest the new name will help emphasize the department's efforts to ensure the country has adequate offensive and defensive capabilities. Hegseth confirmed the change is imminent, though it would not alter the department's structure or authority but could complicate perceptions of its roles in domestic missions like border security. We here at Mituye have long been of the position that the name should change but for very different reasons than those offered by current government officials. We believe the name should change back to the Department of War purely for transparency purposes, as naming it closer to its function will allow the American public to better understand the purpose and functions of the department.

A U.S. District Judge extended an injunction blocking the Trump administration from withholding federal funding from Boston and over 30 other sanctuary cities due to their policies limiting cooperation with immigration enforcement. Mayor Michelle Wu welcomed the ruling, stating it confirms the unlawfulness of conditioning funds on participation in mass deportations and affirms Boston's commitment to following the law. The federal structure of our government will be truly compromised if lower bodies of government continue to be so obstinate and brazen in their refusal to cooperate with federal authorities. It also strikes me as odd, in a city that has as many problems as Boston, to risk needed federal funds to flout federal immigration law.

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued a stop-work order on the 704 MW Revolution Wind project due to national security concerns, halting construction on the 80% complete offshore wind farm which was set to power over 350,000 homes in Connecticut and Rhode Island by 2026. Governors Ned Lamont and Dan McKee criticized the decision as a contradictory political move that risks hundreds of jobs and undermines renewable energy investments. The interesting element of this story is not so much the shift in the position of the government but rather its underlying reason for concern. There have long been rumors of capabilities to undermine the electrical grid of the United States, and the decision to halt this particular project makes one wonder why it might have been particularly problematic for our security interests.

Pennsylvania has rejected the U.S. Department of Justice's demand for voter rolls containing sensitive personal data, such as driver's license numbers, citing significant privacy concerns. Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt described the request as a concerning attempt to access private information, aligning with other states in refusing compliance to protect voter data. Transparency in elections is critical to foster the needed trust to keep democratic functions processes in our republic from being a constant point of contention. Perhaps Pennsylvania should just come up with the information, as they have long been subject to scrutiny for electoral mismanagement, and many of the accusations could be addressed with increased transparency.

Newark Public Schools achieved a districtwide attendance rate of 95.1% for the 2024-25 school year, up from 94.8%, while reducing chronic absenteeism to 10.4% from 12.1%. These gains resulted from targeted efforts including a Truancy Task Force, attendance counselors, and incentive programs like "Give Me Five," surpassing the statewide attendance average. With chronic absences plaguing so many areas of the country, perhaps Newark can provide a roadmap for how other localities can help ensure kids are in school when they're supposed to be. It looks like these programs have worked well to get the kids in the classroom!